Gluten-free Bread for the Bread Maker

by autumn on January 27, 2011

My dear boyfriend got me a bread machine for Christmas. I am often suspicious of single-function kitchen stuff. I mean it; I don’t own a toaster. I certainly don’t own a grapefruit knife or juicer. However, I am here to tell you that the bread maker changed this gluten-free baker’s life.

The loaf pictured above is Gluten-free Girl’s Crusty Boule recipe adapted for the bread maker. More on that later. Last year, as soon as the weather turned colder, I resolved to bake my bread more often than I bought it. I couldn’t be more happy about all of the great gluten-free breads available in stores, but everything is too expensive in New York City, including the gluten-free bread. I started regularly making Gluten-free Girl’s Crusty Boule as written and made Ginger Lemon Girl’svegan version too! They’re both fantastic and (even if you don’t have a bread machine) I’d recommend you working for your carbs and making them. I find breadmaking to be a rewarding and magical kitchen experience.

Enter the bread maker. The best gluten-free bread I’ve ever had was oat millet bread made by Kate. Her recipe is here. It’s aptly named “Gluten-free bread that doesn’t suck.” And it really doesn’t suck. BBM (Before Bread Maker… it really is a little like before christ) I contemplated trying to make Kate’s bread, but knew it wouldn’t turn out the same. Womp, womp. There’s a happy ending though! I christened my bread maker with oat millet bread and it was as good as I remembered.

Although—admittedly—a machine takes away the hands-on part of baking, by making the process easier it keeps me more motivated to bake at home. This brings me back to Gluten-free Girl’s Crusty Boule. This is such a good loaf, I had to see if I could make it a little easier. Making this loaf in the bread maker certainly changes its character: it’s not a crusty, artisan loaf. For that, you’ll have to do the work she describes in the original recipe. And it’s worth it. However, the recipe also makes mean loaf of gluten-free bread for the bread maker.

Gluten-Free Bread for the Bread Maker

Head on over to Gluten-free Girl and check out the Gluten-free Crusty Boule Recipe. Gather the ingredients(except for the last four, we’re going for a white sandwich bread here) and follow my instructions below for the bread maker.

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, except the yeast. Set aside.
2. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the liquid ingredients. Mix by hand until completely combined.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into bread machine pan.
4. Without stirring, carefully dump the dry ingredients onto the wet, making a dry layer on top of the wet mixture.
5. Finally, put the yeast on top of the dry ingredients.
6. Select the “gluten-free” setting if your machine has it or the “basic” setting for a 2lb loaf. Select the darkest crust option. Let the bread maker do its thing.
7. Let the bread cool completely (really, this matters) and demolish.

I would like to know what breadmaker, and particularly what loaf size has brought you the best results. I am getting my girlfriend a breadmaker as a house warming gift. I am about to take the plunge on a used Zojirushi 2 lb baker. My girlfriend has celiac and I thought I had read someplace that the smaller 1 lb loaves work better for gluten free bread. What is your experience? Thanks

I’m certainly not an expert, as I’ve only owned one bread-maker, but I’ve had luck with 2 lb loafs and most recipes I’ve seen are for this size loaf. However, I’d make sure your girlfriend is comfortable with a used bread-maker, since it’s most likely been used with gluten containing flours. Mine is a Westbend and is certainly not as high-end as the Zojirushi. Good luck!

Thanks for pointing that out. The owner claims to have used it only twice and it does look pretty pristine. The ad on craigslist was titled “Gluten Free Bread Maker ” but it does not hurt to ask to be sure.

Hi Carolyn, I can’t say for sure because I’ve never done it and mine is larger than that. Maybe take a look at gluten-free girl’s original recipe? You may just want to make it w/o using the breadmaker. I did that a number of times and it turned out great! Thanks.

I have tried making gluten-free sandwich bread in my breadmaker (just a simple, older Hitachi. The batter never seems to mix up and the dry stuff stays on top. Do I need to just mix it all up first? The books says to do in steps with wet, dry, then yeast. I am trying to make bread for my son who is gluten intolerant. Thanks!

I always scrape the sides of my pan down during the knead cycle. Otherwise, I get dry stuff on top and on the sides. I remember reading somewhere that the sides should be scraped when making GF breads.

Welcome.

Hi! I'm Autumn. I'm a freelance writer in the desert, who adores home cooking. Here you'll find greenmarket-focused gluten-free food: sweets, cocktails, and preserving projects. These are all of the things I love to make and do. I'm the author of Beyond Canning! Read more about me here.